BMW-Bianchi team bikes being cleaned and prepped the afternoon prior
to the women's Liberty Classic. Note the glorious wrenching environment: the Hilton's access alley with a dumpster as a
backdrop. One can't
choose where the hoses are located.

06.04.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

A bevy of washed Bianchis air-drying, waiting for any pre-race servicing. The pink Bianchi, ridden by Katharine Carroll,
sports a custom pink powdercoat.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Upstate New York in the house. Harpursville native Mike Jones (Health Net) and yours truly, a former resident of Cooperstown,
have a meeting of the minds about 45 minutes before race time. The Cooperstown connection: back in his amateur days, prior to
riding SoPro with Team West Virginia and then Health Net, Mike Jones tore up the Northeast sponsored by Cooperstown's (now defunct) Velosophy Bikes. The Leatherstocking region of upstate
New York is still my favorite place to ride a bike.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

I don't win anything, but cool people talk to me before I race. Erik Saunders (McGuire Pro Cycling) takes a few
seconds from his pre-race coffee to chat before embarking on a strenuous six-hour day in the saddle. It's barely visible, but
Saunders' bike sports a negative sloping track stem to get the handlebars low enough for his liking.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Bobby Julich hanging out with his CSC teammates about 30 minutes before the start of the race.

Canadian champion Gord Fraser (Health Net) interviewed by OLN's Frankie Andreu about 30 minutes before the start of the race.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Eric Murphy (Aerospace Engineering) basks in pre-race Philly sunshine. We coralled Eric and his teammate Hugh Moran at the post-race party in a nearby Irish pub and hopefully
they won't run away in terror when they see us in the future.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) was not able to defend his USPRO title and will be sporting this jersey for the next 365
days.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Geoff Kabush (Jittery Joe's), sporting the biggest lambchops in professional cycling, converses with 1987 USPRO
champion/former 7-Eleven pro Tom Schuler. I'm not sure why the Subway pro in the background is showing off his tan lines.

Alessandro Ballan (Lampre), considered by Tony Cruz to be the revelation of the 2005 Spring Classics season, looking calm and
collected prior to starting his first USPRO. About 6 hours later he crossed the finish line in 10th place.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Marco Marzano, Andreas Matzbacher, and Dario Pieri (L-R). While most of the Euro-pros sported the physiques of 12 year old
boys, Dario Pieri was very publicly battling his weight problem.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Reigning British national road champion Roger Hammond (Discovery Channel) on his way to the start line. Earlier in the week at
Trenton, John Lieswyn had a run in with Hammond and chronicled the encounter on cyclingnews.com.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

The view many women see of reigning world champion Judith Arndt (Equipe Nurnberger).

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Judith Arndt and her Equipe Nurnberger teammates gather in the staging area.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

The tail end of the peloton passing the boathouses on Kelly Drive. It must be early in the day since Roberto "2x4"-ioli
(Team Monex, 2nd from the right) is still racing.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

We lucked into some VIP passes and were able to take a shuttle bus from the start/finish area to the top of the Manayunk
Wall. This is the KOM line at the top of the climb where the road levels out into a false flat.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Adam Livingston (Team Seasilver), flanked by a tv motorbike, takes another KOM sprint on his way to earning the title "Master
of the Mountain". At this point of the race, the riders have completed about 100 miles.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Francisco Ventoso (Saunier Duval), 2004 winner of USPRO, passes through the KOM line a few seconds after Livingson with the
rest of the leading group stretched out behind him.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Jesse Lawler (Jittery Joe's) is off the back of the peloton atop the Manayunk Wall and can watch the race leave him behind on
the Jumbo-tron in front of him.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Hmmmm....

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

....I hope this isn't the booth in question. Maybe the author subscribes to the Fonzie school of booth locations. I wonder if
Dave Shields knew ads for his award winning cycling novel The Race were taped up inside porto-johns at the race venue. I guess it makes sense since racing cyclists, his target market,
probably are the most likely candidates to brave a porto-john on a hot day. 24 years of racing have rendered me immune to any
potential sensory horrors lurking within.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

A sweet Vanilla and a well-worn Pinarello fixed gear on the grass of Lemon Hill. There were hundreds of bikes, with
a sizeable amount of track bikes, stacked up all over Lemon Hill as their owners barbecued and drank copious amounts of beer
while taking in the racing action.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

All American finale: the winning break of Danny Pate (Jelly Belly), Chris Horner (Saunier Duval), and Chris Wherry (Health
Net) ascend Lemon Hill on the last of the big laps.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

The 33 man chase group (which finished 44 seconds behind Wherry, Pate, and Horner) ascends Lemon Hill on the last of their
big laps. The rider with the distinctive blue cross on his chest is Finnish national champion Kjell Carlstrom (Liquigas-Bianchi).

Chris Horner, blazing up Lemon Hill on the first of the short laps, is too speedy for my camera. Horner, Pate, and Wherry
treat Philadelphia to a riveting endgame playing out over the next 15 minutes.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Chris Wherry, Danny Pate, and Chris Horner on the podium off in the distance.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

A closer view of the all-American podium, a rarity at USPRO.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Chris Wherry adjusts the Health Net logo on his race-provided national championship jersey.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

An absolutely exultant Chris Wherry sporting stars and stripes. About 1 minute after Wherry donned his race-provided jersey,
a sublimated Health Net national championship jersey (which Wherry is now wearing) appeared from behind the curtains. I
believe the Health Net squad had a jersey already prepared in case one of their American riders won the pro title.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Chris Wherry ponders a question from race announcer Michael Aisner.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Chris Wherry answers a question.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

The King and Queen of Philadelphia: men's winner Chris Wherry and women's winner Ina Teutenberg share the top spot of the
podium.

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

With the podium ceremony concluded, the throngs of spectators have left the start/finish area. Time to dismantle the race
infrastructure. Time for me to find some Guinness...

06.05.05 : USPRO-Philadelphia, PA

Nico Mattan (Davitamon-Lotto) spied at the race hotel after the race. Photos do not do his hairdo justice, chock full of gel
and a few Vanilla Ice-esque razor lines shaved behind his other ear.